


Don’t tell me the odds (Just tell me you care)

by Meatball42



Series: Rare Pairs [102]
Category: Common Law (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Hopeful Ending, Love Languages, M/M, Relationship Issues, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-06 19:04:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20511977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: In another world, Travis and Wes are soulmates. It doesn’t change much, but they’re still trying.





	Don’t tell me the odds (Just tell me you care)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CypressSunn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CypressSunn/gifts).

> What a joy to see this request and read your lovely letter! We have a lot of likes in common as far as relationship dynamics go. Thank you for inspiring me to write in this fandom again! It’s been so long since I played in this sandbox. The narrative style in this fic is new for me, so I hope you it works for you :)

The divorce rate among the standard population is around 50%. The divorce rate for soulmate pairs is around 5%. There’s an expectation, when you’re a soulmated pair, that everything is honey and cream.

“You stuck-up, self-important, preachy jackass!”

“This is entirely your fault! I warned you that this would happen. I said it _ again and again!” _

“Get out of my house!”

“This _ isn’t a house!” _

In case it’s not obvious… Travis and Wes are more like oil and vinegar.

“Why don’t you tell me about how the two of you came to be here.”

Wes was married when he and Travis met. Travis had pictured meeting his soulmate one day, but in a very vague, far-off kind of way. He didn’t mind that Wes was married. He might have even been relieved.

“Not that he’d admit it.”

“You never asked.”

“No, I intuited it from the way you continued a very enthusiastic and enterprising sex life.”

“Oh excuse me, was I supposed to be celibate while you—”

Wes and Alex had been having issues for a long time, but they did love each other very much, and so they compromised, again and again. Right up until neither of them could give another inch.

“It was… mutual.”

“It was a long time coming.”

“_Don’t _ you—don’t you say that.”

“Hey. I’m not blaming either one of you. But you both held on long past when we all knew it was over.”

“It’s called putting in the effort. You might recognize it if you had the capacity.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Travis and Wes got a lot closer after the divorce. But they didn’t move in together.

“I was waiting for him to be ready to move out of that trailer.”

“I was waiting for you to be ready to leave the hotel. You were in a rut. You didn’t want to move on from Alex and you didn’t want to admit it.”

“That doesn’t mean I couldn’t find a new place with you!”

“What? That’s exactly what it means. You weren’t in a state where you could accept change. I mean, you never are, but especially then.”

“You pay attention to _ one _ of Emma’s lectures and you think you can diagnose me now?”

Their work life was suffering due to events that occurred on the job.

“You don’t want us to talk about that?”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“It's not really important, like, to this.”

“Then no, you don’t need to go into detail.”

Their work life was suffering, so their captain sent them to group therapy. Which… helped. Somewhat.

“It was a waste of time.”

“I… learned things.”

“What, you liked group?”

“I didn’t say I liked it, just that it wasn’t completely useless.”

“Name one useful thing you got out of group, Travis.”

“We figured out our love languages.”

“...you consider that useful?”

“I learned that I have to talk stuff out with you. You don’t count covering lunch as an apology.”

“That’s because it isn’t one.”

“Okay, to me, if I’m pissed at you and you cover lunch, I’ll probably get a little less angry.”

“We take turns paying for lunch.”

“...Huh. That’s probably why I’m not pissed with you one hundred percent of the time.”

But group therapy wasn’t doing enough. Even after the… events at work were brought to their conclusion, their once-healthy partnership never quite got back on the right track. So their captain asked their group therapist to refer them to individual couple’s therapy.

“And that’s why we’re here. Even though we’re not married.”

“Do you think that one-on-one therapy, or two-on-one as it were, will help you find that balance again?”

“Statistically speaking, not really.”

“Yeah, I don't know.”

“Do you want to repair things between the two of you?”

“Of course.”

“...Travis?”

“I don’t know about that either.”

“You… you don’t want to fix this?”

“I feel like we spend more time arguing than anything else. I don’t want this to be another time where you hold on too long and just draw out the pain for everyone.”

“So that’s it. You want to divorce me too?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“That’s exactly what you said.”

“No, stop that. I… I don’t know. Maybe we should take a break. Or, I don’t know! As you pointed out earlier, I’m not usually the one looking for a long-term thing.”

“Wow.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just amazed that my own soulmate doesn’t want to work on our relationship.”

"That’s not what I said! Stop putting words in my mouth!”

“Then what do you want!”

“...I want us to stop assuming the worst of each other. I want to stop feeling like we’re in a fight before we’re even in a fight yet!”

“Perhaps this is a good place to stop, and set goals for next week.”

“Should have known we’d have homework here, too.”

They exited the therapist’s building and walked in silence through the parking lot, more than two arms-lengths apart. They’d taken Travis’ SUV, so Travis walked around to the driver’s seat and Wes got in the passenger side. They buckled up and pulled out of the lot in silence.

It was a twenty minute drive across the city to Wes’ hotel. Ten minutes in, Travis spoke quietly.

“That new-age place you like is having a new seasonal menu thing. I got an email for it today.”

Wes nodded absently.

Travis swallowed. “I’ll buy?”

Since he was looking out the passenger side window, the range of expressions Wes’ face went through was hidden, even though Travis had taken his attention off the road to check for a reaction.

“I’m not really in the mood.”

“Okay.”

“I could.” Wes cleared his throat. “I could go for a pizza and chicken tenders at Steve’s. And I’ll buy.”

Travis nodded and hit his directional, switching lanes in preparation to turn toward Steve’s.

“There’s a game on tonight. We could eat at my place. Or your place,” he corrected quickly.

“Your place is… fine. And it’s closer.”

“That sounded like it hurt,” Travis joked. His tentative smile strengthened when Wes cracked one as well.

“Fine, I’d prefer to go back to the hotel. If you don’t mind driving.”

“I’m good.”

They fell back into silence until they pulled into the pizza joint’s parking lot.

“Wanna grab some beer?”

Wes thought about it. “Yeah, sure. Just not—”

“I know what you like,” Travis interrupted. “And you know what I like.”

He leaned over the center console and kissed Wes’ lips, just as Wes turned to say something. It was soft, and lingered for a moment that felt like it was stretching out.

Travis winked as he got out of the car and headed down the strip to the convenience store.

Wes took a deep breath before he went into the pizza place. His cheeks were pink, and he was smiling, almost carefree, for the first time in a while.


End file.
